


Rewrite the Stars

by LuminescentScales



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Asra (The Arcana) Route, F/F, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), Gender-Neutral Apprentice (The Arcana), Julian Devorak's Route, Lucio (The Arcana) Route, Muriel Route (The Arcana), Nadia (The Arcana) Route Spoilers, Portia Devorak's Route
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-18 19:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19341307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuminescentScales/pseuds/LuminescentScales
Summary: Three years after his death, the grandeur of the Count's death still hangs over a recovering Vesuvia. A month shy of the anniversary of his death, a strange girl with eyes ringed silver and a red rose blooming on her chest falls from the sky into the castle gardens. The only things in her possession- a worn, leather satchel sealed by magic, and a familiar astronomy book.There isn't enough Nadia content out in the world, so here's this. Someone on Tumblr said Nadia would be a slowburn fic, and while I wholeheartedly agree, I'm going to fast-forward 20+ years for the sake of everyone's sanity. That said:Welcome to a recollection of Nadia's route as experienced by a love struck fool with minimal knowledge of the other routes, ft. the apprentice. I'm sorry.





	Rewrite the Stars

The crowded whispers threatening to spill from beyond the door woke her. Eyes willing themselves open with reluctance, Elanoriel squinted up at the colorful silks draped over the bed’s canopy. She followed the intricate patterns embroidered into the fabrics, listening to the voices with reserved apprehension. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Positive, milady. The physicians can’t explain why she wasn’t hurt in the fall or why she’s been unconscious for two days- seems she didn’t hit her head hard enough for it? No letters or personal documents, so the guards haven’t a clue who she is for sure, but-” 

"Is there anything we _do_ know about our guest, then?” the annoyance laden in the Countess’s voice stung. 

“W-well, she had this book with her.” Portia held out a worn, blue leather-bound book for the Countess to see, faded gold stars detailing the night sky on the cover. “It’s written in… Prakran, milady, with handwritten notes scribbled all over the inside. Besides that, all we’ve found is the purse by the bedside and some sort of rose mark on her chest and neck.” 

“Rose mark? Who…?” Nadia could hardly feign disinterest at the curiosity. Lines formed on her forehead speaking of a brewing headache as she leafed through the book- there was already enough with the masquerade and the trial, she hardly had time for _this_. “Does anyone know the contents of the… purse?” though she loathed to call it so; it was an eyesore with feathers. 

"We, uhm… Nobody can open it.” 

_“... What?”_

Elanoriel offered the ceiling a smug grin, stretching her arms up above her head until her fingertips brushed against the headboard. She was up with a quick swing of her feet, stalking towards the door with such care that she might’ve snuck up on a mouse. 

“It’s … being protected by some sort of seal? Magic, I think the guards said. Nobody has been able to open it through any normal means…”, Portia wrung her hands, looking around the empty hallways before moving closer to the Countess. She continued in a hushed tone, “Some of the others are worried, milady. It … doesn’t make sense. A girl falling out of the sky and coming out without a scratch? _Now?_ Nearing the anniversary of the Count’s death? Seems a little strange, and the others are a little on edge.” 

“Unbelievable, not a shred of intelligence between any of them.” The Countess rubbed at her temples, “Notify me when the apprentice returns. Perhaps they may be of some use here." 

Nadia had only taken a single step forward when a familiar screech drew her attention to the room where their guest slept. She nodded at Portia, sidestepping close to the bedroom door and carefully placing her hand on the doorknob. With a quick flick of the wrist, Nadia threw the door open- Portia grabbing a nearby vase as she jumped into the room first. The figure startled, jolting in place and nearly dropping what she clutched in her hands as the door slammed back against the wall. 

Elanoriel shrunk away from the owl swooping overhead and eyed them with a curious expression. Nadia and Portia suppressed a shudder as unnatural silver eyes rung with magic bore into them as if looking beyond their physicality to something more. After another unsuccessful dive at the satchel in the girl’s hand, the owl fluttered to the Countess’s shoulder with an indignant _hoot_. 

“Uhm… Hello”, Elanoriel waved awkwardly, huddling the satchel close to her chest as she took a step back. “I think there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding. I-I just got back here and… Chandra, I don’t have any treats on me, _please_ stop glaring at me.” 

The Countess’s eyes widened, “How do you know-” . She narrowed her eyes, stroking the owl’s lovely feathers as it pecked at her fingers affectionately and gave their guest a disgruntled peep. “Whom, dare I ask, are you and what are you doing crashing into my palace gardens?” 

“Please, I don’t mean any trouble. I came to see my brother-” 

“We can’t help if you don’t answer milady’s questions first. Just tell us who you are, and we can go from there.” 

“That … is a fair question.” Before she could answer, the tips of Elanoriel’s pointy ears twitched at the faint sound of guards’ armor scrapping closer, a rather punctuated and pitched voice at their lead. 

_Run… run, you idiot, run!_

The girl took a step back, reeling at the loudness of the voice screaming in her head. She strained through the ringing in her ears, holding her hand out for Portia to stop moving towards her to help. Her eyes flashed molten gold as she took another step back, and another, then one more, ignoring both women approaching her. Another step, and another before turning and making a beeline for the balcony before either woman could react. She clambered over the railing onto the vines stretching along either side, swinging in one fell swoop onto the adjacent balcony. A few more strides and she was out into the hallway. Guards were fast approaching from the right- only one way to go. She whistled as she ran past the other room, the cloak that had previously been folded on the nightstand nearly missing Chandra as it flew after its owner. It draped itself around the girl’s shoulders, the moon clasp clicking softly into place as she ran faster than any human the Countess had ever been witnessed. 

Hallways decorated in the lavish tastes that only royalty know blurred together as she ran, willing her legs to move faster despite the suspicious lack of chase behind her. Eyes that darted around caught some of the finer details of the painting’s hand-carved wood frames, some depicting what must’ve been interesting scenes from local epic poetry while others detailed assortments of white animals, their mouths dripping red. 

_Gaudy._

Confused servants pressed themselves against the wall to avoid her as she ran past, giving them a quick, “Sorry” before barreling down further the halls. Left, left, right, left- _how many corridors could there possibly be in this place?_ The end of the corridor seemed to open into a wider, brighter lit area brimming with the potential of an escape. She bolted on ahead- and straight into Portia. 

“You! Stop righ- “ 

Elanoriel sidestepped as Portia lunged forward to grab at her waist, quickly hugging close to the farthest wall and darting around to look for an escape. One end of the hallway guarded by a small, feisty ginger and the other by a furious, fast approaching Countess flocked by guards. Where…? 

_You; up here!_

Elanoriel took several careful steps backwards towards the grand staircase, dodging another attempt from Portia to grab her before turning tail and disappearing up the grand staircase behind them. The clamor of the chase and the sound of her footsteps were drowned in the darkness of the hallway. Were it not for her wearing what she assumed was a silk bathrobe, she might have better felt the intoxicating warmth in the air. It licked at her exposed skin, spurring her further down towards a gentle but promising breeze. 

The warmth focused at the crown of her head, the hair at the back of her neck standing as she caught shadows out of the corner of her eyes. They were gone whenever she turned to look at them. She came to a stop, gasping slightly for air that the darkness seemed to smother out of her lungs. A dead end- no escape wherever she looked. 

_You idiot,_ the same voice growled out, louder than their previous warning. 

“What’s wrong, Lulu? Don’t want to come and see your darling little sister after all these years?” 

Silence, briefly, before she felt the warmth cradle her shoulders in what appears to be a sighed embrace. When next it spoke, its tone was sadder, lonelier. _I told you to stay away._

“What- no?” She shuffled around the satchel, moving strange herbs and hastily scribbled notes to the side until she struck a vanilla colored envelope with a broken crimson wax seal. “You sent me this telling me to come back, that you needed to see me urgently.” 

_...no, I didn’t._

She huffed, taking the letter out and holding it up for the air to behold. “Lulu, I have it right here. That’s _your_ handwriting, isn’t it? What do you mean-” 

_I mean…._ she heard the scrapping of claws along the walls, wincing at it dragged closer until a tall figure towered over her. White fur and great twisted horns caught what little light the hallway offered, adding to his ghastly form, piercing red eyes the only part of his new self that were not translucent. _I assure you, I didn’t write that letter, Ela._

_“Oh.”_ She took a step back, reaching a hand through him as though that would prove enough to ground him. “Lulu, you big idiot…”, she leaned her cheek into the claws he tried to cup around it, neither moving afraid to unsettle the other, “What have you gotten yourself into this time?” 

The sound of footsteps headed their way stalled their reunion, a shrill scream breaking through the darkness in the room. The ghastly goat huffed, moving past her towards the noise, _You need to leave; now._

“But-” 

He’d disappeared into the space between her and the hallway’s entrance before she could think to argue, his voice echoing faintly as cloved footsteps trailed off, _Follow the dogs, they’ll show you out._ And she was alone again. 

Both the voice and the heat were gone. Even the darkness was less oppressive. With it gone, the soft allure of magic teased at Elanoriel’s senses from somewhere up ahead. She came to what appeared to be a solid wall, a gentle breeze creeping in from the sides. She pressed her palm to it and a surge of magic sparked at her fingertips. Somewhere behind her she heard the Countess yell, but the words were swallowed by the blackness that enveloped Elanoriel. 

She came out into a garden overgrown with vines with only the distant chirping of birds disrupting the silence. Sure enough, two great white dogs emerged from a nearby path, their little red beady eyes staring right through her as they approached. The bigger one with a docked ear stuck its snout into Elanoriel’s outstretched hand, sniffing curiously as the smaller of the two poked at the satchel hanging from her hip. Not finding anything of interest, it gave up the satchel to circle their new guest. It sauntered away, looking back expectantly. Ignoring it, the bigger dog sniffed up her arm to the middle of her chest, finding there something of interest and huffing at the dip between her breasts. 

“I’ve missed you too, Chi”, she smiled, leaning forward ever so slightly to kiss the tip of the dog’s snout. Satisfied, it huffed at her face and strolled to where the other sat waiting. They waited until she was a few feet behind them before disappearing through a path in the thicket. They glanced behind them every so often making sure she followed and waiting for her to catch up through the rougher patches. They wound through the hedge maze, raising their hackles and growling to let her know when guards were near. Round and round, down this way, right turn, over the fallen log, past the well-kept wild flowers, and after a few near run-ins with the guards who seemed to ignore the dogs rather than think anything of it, they reached the palace wall. 

Melchior whined, nudging Elanoriel’s hand with its snout until she scratched the top of its head and behind its ear. Mercedes sat a ways away eyeing them, not betraying any emotions as it waited patiently for the other to return. It sniffed at the hand that she offered it, turning away in disinterest and focusing instead on some white bird squawking overhead. 

“… Well, thank you for helping me anyways, Mercy.” 

Melchior gave Elanoriel’s face one last huff before slinking away back into the maze. She could still feel the dogs' and their master’s eyes on her as she cracked the door open, slipping out past and away from the palace. 

“Let's see what Asra’s been up to then…” 

**Author's Note:**

> This has been slowly taking over any thoughts of my actual novels I've had for the past month. Just.. _take it. ___


End file.
